


Frustrating Clientele

by hmweasley



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Established Relationship, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-08-25 06:09:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16655680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hmweasley/pseuds/hmweasley
Summary: Albus kind of regrets taking his job at a coffee shop in the rich part of town. When a new customer comes in, Albus is instantly drawn to him, but he has no interest in being with someone like him.(Collection of connected coffee shop AU one-shots.)





	1. Frustrating Clientele

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts:  
> Coffee shop AU  
> (word) sloppy  
> (word) hypnotized  
> (object) scarf

Albus tapped his fingers against the wood, both wishing for a customer who could provide mental stimulation and dreading another interaction with the stuck up rich people who frequented the coffee shop. If he’d known how insufferable the clientele would be, he would have devoted his energy to looking for jobs elsewhere, but he’d made his decision, and he didn’t want to quit. James would never let him live it down.

But it was becoming harder to deny that maybe his brother had a valid point when he’d said that Albus wouldn’t last long at the coffee shop. It was true that Albus had felt more like a fancy robot over the past month than he had a human being. That was how the customers saw him, and he often thought his boss did too.

“I really hate rich people,” Albus muttered to his co-worker Lysander the second the door swung closed behind their latest customer. 

It was a slow part of the day, which meant that Albus had plenty of time to vent to Lysander about all of his troubles. Of course most of those troubles were going to be about their customers.

“You’ve got to get over all your pent up anger, Albus,” Lysander said with a roll of his eyes. “Some of them are obnoxious, sure, but complaining about them all the damn time sure isn’t helping anyone.”

“Some people need to vent to stay sane,” Albus shot back, kicking at the base of the counter to air his frustrations further. “It’s a thing most normal people do. You’re the one who’s weirdly chipper all the damn time.”

“Your venting is constant and too much,” Lysander said with the sensitivity of a five-year-old. He stuck his bottom lip out in a pout over Albus’ slight insult.

When Albus glared, he merely shrugged in response. 

“I speak the truth. If it gets you worked up, it’s only because you know it’s true.”

Albus was about to respond when the bell above the door rang, alerting them about another customer. Both boys took their assigned positions, Albus at the cash register and Lysander behind the coffee machine, as had been drilled into them since their first day.

The boy who walked through the door had the same general air about him that Albus had come to expect from rich people. His clothes certainly hadn’t come from the places where Albus and his family shopped. Each piece had cost more than Albus’ entire wardrobe; hell, the boy’s entire outfit had probably appeared on a runway once. That fact alone was enough to make Albus hate him.

What he hated even more was that the boy was gorgeous. He was taller than Albus, that much was obvious even before he’d reached the counter. There was a silver and green-striped scarf wrapped around the boy’s neck, and the colours complimented his eyes wonderfully. He looked hypnotic, and Albus struggled to keep his mind clear as he approached. Nothing good could come from falling for a rich boy anyway.

He plastered on the expected smile as the boy approached, blocking out all thoughts that weren’t part of his script.

The boy smiled at him as he approached the counter, which Albus had to begrudgingly admit was a step up from the greetings he usually got.

“Hello,” the boy said.

“Hi,” Albus said in the same cheery voice he was always forced to use. “Welcome to Joe’s Coffee. What can I get for you today?”

“A caffè latte, please,” Scorpius said with far more enthusiasm than was normal while ordering coffee.

“Of course. That’ll be £4.58.”

He tried not to look at the boy as he took his money, put it into the cash register, and retrieved the correct change.

It wasn’t until the boy was leaving the shop that Albus allowed himself to watch the back of his head as it disappeared through the door.

Laughter rang through the shop, and Albus snapped his head towards Lysander with a glare.

“He liked you,” Lysander said in a sing-song voice. “Did you notice how he couldn’t stop staring?”

“Shut up,” Albus muttered, glaring down at the register in front of him. “He was not.”

“If you hadn’t been avoiding looking at him so much, you would’ve noticed. I thought he might accidentally drop his coffee with the way he was gawking at you as I handed it to him. I think I just witnessed the beginnings of love.”

Albus reaches over to shove Lysander, trying to ignore the boisterous laughter he received in response.

* * *

Scorpius didn’t know how to flirt. He could watch other people do it, and he understood the theory behind it, but when he was standing across from someone he liked, he struggled to actually implement it.

There had to be some unspoken science behind it that Scorpius couldn’t grasp. The thing was, he didn’t really care about grasping it, but flirting seemed to be the only way people caught on that you liked them.

That and flat out telling them about your feelings were apparently your only options, and Scorpius couldn’t do the latter any better than he could the flirting.

Week after week, he came to the coffee shop where Albus (according to his name tag) worked. He would never allow himself to come more than one day a week. He wanted Albus to catch on that he liked him, but he didn’t want to seem creepy.

The thing was, Albus was gorgeous, and that was intimidating.

It didn’t help that Albus was also a little hostile. Scorpius was sure Albus didn’t like him much, but what bothered him was that he didn’t know why. He’d tried to be kind, and he hadn’t even attempted to make any moves on him. 

Sometimes Albus blushed when he saw him, but then he’d make a concerted effort to scowl. Scorpius had no idea what to make of it.

But he kept coming back hoping he would figure it out.

* * *

It was Lysander who smiled at the blonde boy whenever he came in, and it was Lysander who found out that his name was Scorpius. Albus pretended not to be listening to the conversation, but the name ran through his mind whenever Scorpius arrived. He’d have to remind himself not to use it whenever he took Scorpius’ order or handed him his coffee.

No matter how many times Scorpius came, he was always well dressed and composed. Even in his work uniform, Albus felt sloppy in comparison. Frequently, he would have stains from previous spills on his shirts when Scorpius arrived, and the stains felt like neon signs as he stood across the counter from Scorpius.

If Scorpius’ elegant appearance wasn’t enough to irritate Albus, his choice of university subject was. He’d taken to studying in the coffee shop, which in addition to being far too distracting, also meant that Albus couldn’t help but sneak a peek at his textbooks whenever he delivered new drinks to his table.

At first, he’d thought Scorpius was studying to be a doctor; it had felt fitting. Over time, though, he’d realized that Scorpius was actually studying to be a nurse, and that left Albus more intrigued by the boy than ever. 

Though Albus had never met Scorpius’ parents, he could easily imagine the kind of people they were. He wondered how they felt about their son choosing to become a nurse, not a doctor.

* * *

Scorpius was careful to keep his eyes on his textbook as Albus approached the table. He knew that if he looked up and made eye contact, Albus’ kind eyes would harden into a glare, and he hated watching it happen. As Albus sat a new coffee cup on his table, Scorpius’ heartbeat quickened.

When Albus continued to hover over him instead of turning away, Scorpius stiffened, but it wasn’t until Albus cleared his throat that he dared to look up at the other boy.

“This one is on the house,” Albus said, motioning at the mug.

“Oh.” Scorpius blinked several times, looking between the mug and Albus. This was new. “Thank you.”

Albus gave a slight jerk of his head that was probably meant to be a nod.

“Let me know if you need anything,” he said.

His lips turned upwards in a small grin, and Scorpius felt butterflies erupt in his stomach. Returning the smile, he leaned forward, feeling giddy and more daring than he ever had before.

“I’m sure I will,” he said, only blushing a bit when he realized the tone he’d used was the closest he’d ever come to flirting successfully.

Albus didn’t seem turned off by it as his grin widened.

“I’ll let you get back to your homework,” he said. “It looks important. Nursing, is it?”

“Yes,” Scorpius said, smiling down at his book. There was a picture of a nurse drawing blood from a child on the page. “I’m studying to be a pediatric nurse.”

“Pediatrics,” Albus repeated, nodding his head absentmindedly.

People always had one of two reactions when they learned of his chosen profession: surprised disapproval or surprised enthusiasm. There were rarely any muted reactions.

“Pediatrics,” Scorpius confirmed, holding up the book for Albus to see the title emblazoned on the front. “I’ve always wanted to work with children.”

Albus was biting at his lip but couldn’t hide his smile, and Scorpius felt his stomach flutter. For a moment, they silently watched the other, waiting to see what the other would do.

When Albus was no longer able to help himself, he blurted out, “Would you like to go on a date with me?”

“Yes,” Scorpius replied before Albus had entirely finished the question. “Definitely yes.”

Albus took a large enough exhale that Scorpius could see it, and he found it hopelessly endearing.

“Great,” Albus said with a relieved smile. He reached over Scorpius to take one of the napkins from the holder and stole Scorpius’ pen to scribble down his number. “You can text me once I get off work, and we’ll figure out the details.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Scorpius said, nodding along in a daze.

He couldn’t help but smile at the napkin as Albus headed back to the counter. And he was tactful enough to pretend not to hear the way Lysander sniggered before exclaiming, “Ouch!” when Albus retaliated.


	2. Aren't You Just a Doll?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, I wrote a sequel. And I would definitely consider this a sequel more than a second chapter, though I'm posting them together for the sake of organization. You don't really need to have read the first one-shot to understand this one. The only important thing is that Scorpius and Albus met at the coffee shop and are, at this point, dating. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Prompts:  
> (word) doll  
> (setting) coffee shop

Albus’ job had become much harder since he started dating Scorpius Malfoy. It was embarrassing how easily distracted he was, though he partially blamed that on his job just not being interesting. He took a customer’s order and made their drinks. It was the same thing day after day. There was nothing new to capture his attention.

Scorpius, on the other hand, could capture his interest easily. He’d taken to studying in the coffee shop where Albus worked almost every day, and there was something new for Albus to observe each time he arrived, whether it was the way he’d styled his hair or the way his cheeks were particularly flushed from the cold weather. There would never not be something fascinating about Scorpius.

If his boss ever worked out the truth, he’d probably be, at the very least, scolded for his distraction, but as Scorpius ordered drinks with regularity, Albus didn’t feel too upset at letting him stay as much as he wanted. Even Lysander found it amusing. He’d begun taking even more shifts with Albus than he had previously in order to laugh at the times he fumbled up drinks because Scorpius had bit his lip or brushed his hair from his eyes.

Despite the embarrassment it sometimes led to, there was nothing Albus enjoyed more than having his shifts marked with Scorpius’ presence. He didn’t, however, appreciate group projects. When he’d still been in school, he’d despised them, and they weren’t any better when his boyfriend was participating in them, bringing his project partner along with him to the coffee shop in order to study.

Perhaps if the partner had been charming, Albus would have been fine, but Janet was one of those customers who spoke to him more like a machine than a person when she stepped up to the cash register. That was fine. He could have lived with that, but once she’d joined Scorpius at their table, her entire demeanor changed. She smiled and toyed with her curly blonde hair as she leaned closer to Scorpius, not paying any attention to the work they were meant to be doing.

Her giggles often carried to the counter where Albus was trying to work, and it was harder than ever to smile at customers as they ordered. 

“Aren’t you just a doll?” she said with a laugh.

Albus slammed the drawer of the register shut with more force than necessary, making the customer jump. He widened his false smile as he directed the customer further down the counter to wait for her drink.

His anger certainly wasn’t because of any insecurity on his part. He felt completely secure in his and Scorpius’ relationship, and even if he hadn’t, he was very aware of just how gay Scorpius was. Janet was not his type, and she never would be. But the obnoxious flirting was more than he could take, especially when Scorpius was too kind a soul to flat out tell her to stop and she seemed oblivious to his discomfort.

“This is for Janet,” Lysander said, pushing a new coffee cup towards Albus and startling him out of his stewing anger. “You want to take it over there? I’ll get any customer that comes in.”

It was a bad idea considering his current mood towards Scorpius’ study partner, but he couldn’t resist being closer to Scorpius whenever possible. He ignored Lysander’s smirk as he gripped the drink. He noted with dissatisfaction that it was plain black coffee, the same way Albus drank his own coffee. It made him hate her even more.

Just as Albus reached the table, Janet reached out to brush a strand of Scorpius’ hair from his eyes, her fingers lingering against his skin a second longer than anyone would deem necessary. Albus, surprised, stumbled, sloshing a small bit of coffee onto the table and narrowly missing Janet’s notes in the process.

Scorpius jumped to action before Albus even could, reaching for napkins to mop up the drink with. Janet, however, had no interest in saving her notes before harm could come to them.

“What did you do?” she exclaimed, pointing a finger in Albus’ face. “You work in a coffee shop, and you can’t even bring me my drink without spilling it everywhere?”

“It’s not everywhere,” Scorpius said, his voice quiet but strong. “It hardly spilled, and everything’s fine.”

“That’s not the point,” Janet snapped, her voice taking on a whine when she spoke towards Scorpius. “Do you know how long these notes took to write? And this idiot almost ruined them just like that.”

She snapped her fingers and paused, waiting for a response from Scorpius. What came certainly wasn’t what she’d been expecting. Scorpius’ cheeks were already turning red as he spoke.

“Your notes are fine, and I’d appreciate you not insulting my boyfriend for an accident that could have happened to anyone.”

Warmth blossomed in Albus’ chest, and he couldn’t help but smirk despite still facing an angry customer who could easily complain about him to his boss. The intense way Scorpius was staring Janet down was more than enough to make up for whatever punishment might be directed his way later.

Janet’s mouth opened and closed as she stared at Scorpius. Her eyes flickered back and forth between the boys, and her shoulders slumped as she finally came to accept the truth.

“This is your boyfriend?” she asked Scorpius, motioning towards Albus with a wave of her hand without looking at him.

“Yes,” Scorpius said simply, reaching out to take Albus’ hand and tug him closer.

Albus went easily, offering Janet a short wave of greeting even though she was still hardly looking at him. Her eyes flickered to him for a split second before focusing instead on a spot on the wall just over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, not sounding sorry at all.

In fact, she sounded like she was holding in more anger than she’d had just seconds ago. Except, this time, Albus felt like he was riding high on it. He soaked up the moment for all it was worth, sidling up to Scorpius’ side and wrapping an arm around his waist. Janet’s frown deepened at the gesture, and she finally took a good look at her notes for the first time since she’d arrived at the coffee shop.

“It’s fine,” Albus told her in barely constrained glee. “I’m sure those notes really did take ages. It would have been a right shame if something happened to them.”

Janet gave a short nod, not looking up at either of them. Albus turned to Scorpius, sharing a small smile. Scorpius leaned forward to peck him on the lips.

“Are you okay?” he mouthed, keeping the question just between the two of them.

Albus nodded and leaned in to give Scorpius one more quick kiss before he pulled away.

“I have to go,” he said reluctantly. “Customers to help and all that.”

He and Scorpius shared another smile as Albus backed away towards the counter. Albus even offered a short wave towards Janet, but she missed it. Scorpius remained standing until Albus was back at the register, the two of them sharing small glances of amusement as Janet continued to stew over her notes.

A loud scoff pulled Albus’ attention away, forcing him to focus on Lysander instead.

“The two of you are ridiculous,” the boy muttered, wiping at a coffee mug with a wet cloth.

The comment only made Albus beam as a customer approached the counter, looking a little dazed by Albus’ overly cheery demeanor.


End file.
